Getting Around Getty

On our last California trip we visited the Getty Center. It is perched on top of a hill of the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles. This is one of the two campuses of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The other campus is called the Getty Villa.

Getty Center is a $1.3 billion project that opened to the public in 1997. Admission to the museum is free, though you have to pay for parking. It is like the dinner is free, but you have to pay for the fork and knife.

We parked at the designated parking area which is on the foot of the hill. Then we took a 1-mile tram ride up the hill to the museum. You can also walk from the parking area to the center, but it is a rather steep climb. The building itself is a work of art. It was designed by architect Richard Meier. Below is the central garden of the Getty Center. The museum houses priceless treasures of art. This includes European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, and decorative art. It also have 19th and 20th-century American and European photographs. Below is my favorite subject for paintings.  Nudes? No.The cornucopia of fruits! Silly.  The works are from famous artists. From Rembrandt’s portraits… To Picasso’s abstracts… To Monet’s impressions…. And van Gogh’s paintings. Even if you are not really into arts, you can still enjoy the museum just by looking outside the window, for there is more to see than paintings. The view from the center is picturesque. From the bustling downtown LA…. Up to the rugged Santa Monica mountains…. And to the serene Pacific ocean. It is also a beautiful location for a photo shoot. I enjoyed our visit to the Getty Center. And to cap the experience, we skip the tram ride and instead briskly walked down the scenic path back to the parking area. It was breath-taking. Literally.